ON THE BALLOT: Half-Mile Setback Initiative Qualifies for Ballot

Late yesterday afternoon, the Colorado Secretary of State announced that the initiative that would require a 2,500 setback for oil and gas development qualified for the ballot with an estimated 123,195 valid signatures based on a random sample reviewed (and, despite the millions spent by the industry to keep it off the ballot).

The roar from the oil and gas industry was deafening.

Dan Haley, chief executive officer with the Colorado Oil and Gas Association, offered this statement to the Denver Post:

“A half-mile setback is a blatant attempt by activists to ban oil and natural gas in Colorado and put working families on the unemployment line.”

“If passed, Initiative 97 could devastate the economic livelihood of hundreds of thousands of Coloradans, both in and out of the energy industry. Entire communities would involuntarily find themselves closed for business.”